Electric heater for oil-wells



(No Model.)

LKW. DINGMAN e H, H. ARGUB.

vElectric Heater for Oil Wells. No. 231,287.

Patented Aug. 17, 188.0..

H.PETERS, PHOTO-LxTHoGRLPHER, WASHINGTON. D C.

NITED STATES PATENI Ormea ARCHIBALD DINGMAN, OF TORONTO, ONTARIO,CANADA, AND HENRY H. ARGUE, OF DERRTCK CITY, ASSIGNORS OF ONE- THIRD OFTHEIR RIGHT TO JOHN J. CARTER, OF TITUSVILLE, PENNSYLVANIA.

ELECTRIC HEATER FOR OIL-WELLS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 231,287', dated August17', 1880.

Application filed May 3, lSSO.

To all whom tt may concern:

Re it known that we, ARCHIBALD YY. DING- MAN, a citizen ot' the Dominionot' Canada, and HENRY H. ARGUE, a citizen of the United States,residing, respectively, in the city of Toronto, `county of York,Province of Ontario, and Derrick City, county of McKean, State ofPennsylvanim have invented a new and useful Improvement in ElectricalApparatus, ot

1o which the following is a description.

The object ot our invention is to heat and liquefy the paraftine in thetubing and in the rock of oil-wells, to start the tlow ot' gas and oil,thereby increasing the production, and to heat the oil in oil-tanks,t'orthe 'purpose of freeing it from the ice-water and other t'oreignsubstances, which retard the ready liow of oil from the tanks throughpipe-lines 5 and to that end our invention consists in an apparatus 2othrough which acurrent of electricityis passed,

whereby suflicient heat is evolved in the machine to melt the paraftlnein the tubing and rock of oil-wells and heat the oil in oil-tanks whenbrought into contact with the paratline and the oil. We attain theseobjects by the mechanism illustrated in the accompanying drawings, inwhich- Figure l is a vertical section through the entire apparatus ormachine, and Figs. 2 and 3o 3 vertical sections of parts thereof.

Similar letters refer to the same parts in the different gures.

In the drawings, a represents a carbon rod surrounded by a layer ofmineral asbestus, b

3 5 b, and inclosed in a brass tube, c. At opposite ends of the brasstube c are b 1ass screwcaps d and c, with circular openings j" and g intheir centers. The carbon rod a is suspended in the brass tube c bymeans of brass head- 4o pieces h and h', iittin g exactly the ends ofthe carbon rod a. The opposite ends of these headpieces h and h, reducedin circumference from a shoulder and threaded, pass through the openingsfand g in the brass screw-caps d and c and 4 5 are adjusted by the brassnut t' and the brass screw-cap j. On the screw-caps el and c are lugs kand l, through which passes the copper rod m, the opposite ends of whichare threaded. Through the screw-cap j passes a brass pin, a,

(No model.)

adjusted by abrass nut, o, and terminating at 5o the opposite end in athreaded socket, p, into which the one end ot' the copper rod vm screws.The screw-cap c is extended in the form ot or has attached theretoahollow cone, q, which terminates in apoint,.r. Anextensionot'one 5",side ot' the cone q forms a recess, in which the connection otl thecopper rod m with the screwcap j is made' by means ot' the brass pin In.The copper rod 'n1l is insulated with asbestus and wound with lillebrass wire, to protect 6o itfroln possible abrasion. The connectionsthrough the openings are protectedt by the brass caps t and u, verticalsections of which are given in Figs. 2 and 3.

The brass head-pieces fand g, brass nut fz', 65 and screw-cap j areinsulated with asbestus from contact with the brass screw-caps l and eand brass tube o, and the covers or caps t and a are also insulated byasbestus from contact with the connection at o and l).

To carry our invention into et't'ect we connect the machine with thepositive and negative cond uct-in g-wires ot'an electrical generator bymeans of flexible insulated copper cables at w and y. A current ofelectricity passes into the machine at w, through the screw-head f, intothe carbon rod a, from the carbon rod a into the screw-head 7L', throughthe screw-cap j, into the pin a, to the copper rod m, back to thenegative conducting-cable at y.

The resistance which the electric current meets with in its passagethrough the semiconducting carbon rod a evolves in the carbon a volumeof heat'. This is transmitted to the non-combustible asbestus packing bl), which conducts it to the surrounding brass tube c. The asbestus l)l), while being non-combustible, readily conducts the heat generated inthe carbon a., and at the same time, being a nonconductor ofelectricity, insulates the carbon 9o rod against possible contact withthe brass tube-c.

By ruiming this machine or apparatus down into an oil-well we bring itinto contact with the parafline, which soon heats and melts, allowingthe gas coniined below it to ascend and causing the oil to flow.

By placing the apparatus in the oil in tanks sufficient heat is evolvedto free the oil from foreign substances, thereby allowing it to iiowreadily from the ta-nks into the pi pe-lines.

As the parafine becomes hardened at different depths in different wells,by having our electrical heater arranged to evolve the required heatwithin itself without the aid oi' any exterior apparatus, we are enabledto raise and lower the machine at will by means ofthe flexibleconducting-cables w and y, thereby bringing it in contact with theparatine in the well at whatever depth it may have become hardened inthe tubing without in any way breaking the circuit of the electricalcurrent.

The conical lower portion of the machine, composed of the hollow7 cone qand the covers t u, serves to puncture any thick accumulation ofparaiiine contained in the well, and, in connection with the tube c,protects the lcarbon rod or circuit-interrupter and its connections fromany possible short-circuitin g against the tubing ot' the well.

`Having fully described our invention, what we claim, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is-

1. The combination, in an electrica-l machine or apparatus, of thecarbon rod n, the asbestus packing I) b, and the brass tube c, for thepurpose of evolving heat by electricity, substantially as specified.

2. In an electrical machine or apparatus for liquefying oil in wells andtanks, the combination, with a tube, c, of the screw-caps d e, havingcircular openings fg, and the adjustable head-pieces h h', for thepurpose of suspending the carbon rod a, substantially as shown anddescribed.

3. The combination, in an electrical heater, of the copper rod m and thescrew-caps d e, having 'lugs or bearings k l, with the pin a, screw-capj, head-pieces h 7L', and carbon rod a', all arranged substantially asand for the purpose set forth.

4. In an electric heater, the combination, with a metallic tube, 0, ofthe screw-cap c, hollow cone g, and covers or caps t u, all constructedand arranged substantially as and for the purposes described.

5. The electrical machine or heater herein described, consisting7essentially, of a metallic tube containing a carbon rod, connected bysuitable devices with a copper rod on the exterior, the various partsbeing provided with a non-combustible insulating material, and the wholesuspended by means of ilexible conducting-cables arranged in such amanner that the machine may be raised and lowered at will within thetubing of oil-wells, so as to come in direct contact with and liquefythe parafine and oil at any depth, substantially as specified.

ARCHIBALD W. DINGMAN. HENRY H. ARGUE. Witnesses:

JNO. J. CARTER, W. rl. BIX.

